Welcome to The Slott Report - IRA and Retirement Planning Information

The Slott Report

When you encounter tough economic times, you may be tempted to tap your retirement plan. If you are considering this, you will want to proceed carefully. If you are under age 59 ½, any distributions you take may be taxable and also subject to the 10% early distribution penalty. Whether or not there is an exception to the penalty for financial hardship is a common misconception.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag, coming to you live from our 2-Day IRA Workshop in Philadelphia, contains questions from consumers screaming (sometimes literally) for help! In several cases, the issues involve the magic age of 59 1/2 and cover a variety of topics, including life insurance issues, 72(t) payments with a divorce and the Roth IRA 5-year rules.

“If I roll my 401(k) money to an IRA, how safe will it be from creditors?” This is one of the most common – and in some cases, important – questions people have when they are considering moving their 401(k) money to an IRA. Unfortunately, there’s not just one simple answer.

Everyone thinks they know what a rollover is, but do they really? A rollover is when you move retirement funds from one account to another. Well, that is partially right. We examine the true definition of a rollover in the employer plan and IRA worlds.

Your retirement is at risk - but it's not necessarily because of the reasons you might think. Ed Slott sat down with Fox Business Channel's Mornings with Maria to discuss why taxes are your retirement's public enemy No. 1. Some financial advisors don't know the ever-changing tax rules, others make IRA rollover mistakes that can wipe out a client's life savings and even others don't know how to deal with inherited IRAs and the pitfalls that can befall beneficiaries.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers a few inquisitive readers on what to do if you just found out you aren't eligible to make a Roth conversion or contribution in a given year and if you can name a trust as an IRA beneficiary.

Beginning in 2015, individuals are only allowed to do one 60-day rollover in a year. A 60-day rollover is when a distribution is issued payable to the account owner. They can cash the check or they can spend funds that were deposited into a bank or other type of account. In this article, we asses 5 exceptions to the one-per-year 60-day IRA rollover rule and provide three examples.

You have contributed to your IRA for years. You have made wise and thoughtful investments. Maybe you have rolled over funds to your IRA from your company plan. You may now have a significant balance. So far, you have taken smart steps toward a secure future. Don’t stop your careful planning there. It is time to ask yourself an important question, “Who will inherit my IRA?”

This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers whether each separate Roth IRA needs its own five-year clock and if you can convert non-deductible Traditional IRA funds to a Roth IRA. Do you know the answers?